E-1 Heradé
The E-1 Heradé (English: E-1 Hope) was a design of starship in service with the early Republic, and then into the period under Rakorian rule. Initially, each ship was known by their individual names, and it was not until the Republic Navy Identification System came into force in 2240, some 50 years after the class was decomissioned, that the class was formally named. It was designed for exploring nearby star systems and not combat, and so while it had no weapons and only basic shielding, it was not only capable of atmospheric re-entry but also planetary landing, something very few starships are capable of in the 25th century. After the Republic was amalgamated into the Rakorian Empire, the class still saw limited use as a transport vessel, before being decommissioned in 2189. The second ship of the class, the Freiroté, is viewable at the Republic National Space Museum. Characteristics "This ship carries the hopes, dreams and ambitions of every human on Kauraus. We can't let that go to waste." ''- David Johnson, Captain of the Heradé'' Dimentions By 25th Century standards, the Heradé was tiny, dwarfed by even the smallest of capital ships. It was, however, big enough to cut an imposing figure on less technologically advanced worlds, and was still recognised as a ship by other spacefaring races. They were painted in the deep purple of the Republic senate, with the Republic Flag emblazoned on the side, along with the name of the ship. Crew The Heradé had crew compartments for 120, but official compliment was 100. This was for numerous reasons. One, the length of missions meant families may travel together, adding children to the mix or possible void-born babies. Also, it meant that on the chance any sentient life was found, ambassadors could be brought back to Kauraus. Of the 100 crew, there was 5 bridge crew (Captain, Helmsman, Communications Officer, Sensors Officer, Science Officer), 35 or so Engineers of various disciplines, 15 Scientists, 15 Security Personnel, 20 Medics and Psychologists, 5 chefs and 5 other personell. Quarters were randomly assigned (aside from those with families), in order to mix up people and foster a sense of camaraderie between crewmembers. There was a small brig, capable of holding 20 prisoners, but it was rarely used. For entertainment, an electronic database of every book and film on record in the Republic Central Library was made available to all crew members, and they were also allowed to bring physical games as well. If the mission had children on board, one or two teachers would be requested, so the children did not miss out on their education. However, most education was done by following other crew members, and so while they lacked in subjects like Politics, Literature and History, they excelled at Engineering, Physics, Xenoecology and other related subjects. Armament The Heradé was almost completely unarmed and, for all practical space combat purposes, it was. Six Laser Scythes adorned the sides, although they were for destroying asteroids more than anything. 16 machine gun turrets were placed along the sides, although these were anti-personnel weapons in case of hostile life upon planetfall. Compliment The Heradé carried one ''Columbus-Class ''Grav-Rover, who's sole purpose was to explore beyond the landing site. It was little more than an armoured grav-car with a single light machine gun, but it did prove it's worth during the Battle of the Storm Caves. Engines The craft had 4 large plasma coil engines and 6 smaller ones for atmosphere, capable of accelerating it to approximatley Mach 5 in atmosphere. Four large chemical rockets provided sufficient thrust to escape atmosphere with relative ease, and the 8 Ion Thrusters could accelerate the ship to speeds of 44,500kph in vacuum over sustained periods of time. A surplus of fuel was carried on board, but equipment to synthesise more was provided. Small manoeuvring thrusters dotted the sides, but these were only really good for course corrections. Important Locations The Ship's bridge was actually in the centre of the ship, with cameras on the front and sides providing a 300 degree view. Engineering was located wherever major systems were, with the main computer core being directly below the bridge. Science was mostly on the bottom, to allow easy access to the rover. History Soon after the founding of the Republic, they began to construct re-usable sublight shuttles to explore the moons of Kauraus. However, this soon proved to be too little and so the Heradé program was launched, intending to build a ship capable of doing extended missions to other worlds. In total, research and development took 7 years, and then continued during the 6 years it took for the ship to be constructed. Category:Starships Category:Republic Category:Historical